FOS 14 Day Twitter Challenge

Become a Tweep by taking up our 14 day Twitter Challenge

FOS 14 Day Twitter Challenge

Become a Tweep by taking up our 14 day Twitter Challenge

To tweet or not to tweet

For a long time I simply didn't get twitter! Why do I need to know if someone is having a cup of coffee or sitting on the bus?! But gradually people kept telling me about the power of twitter and how great it is for educators. So I gave it a go and had a play. I discovered that there are so many like minded teachers and leaders out there sharing a wealth of fantastic information. I can honestly say that being on Twitter has given me some of the BEST PD that I have ever had!

I found the idea of 'The 14 Day Twitter Challenge' on Twitter and want to acknowledge jarrod@pegeek.com and @HELENOFTROY for this great idea.

To Tweet Or Not To Tweet

Day 1- re activate your account

On our teacher only day in January we all set up a twitter account. Now is the time to reengage with this account. Today all you need to do is check you account, read some tweets and just remind yourself how it looks.

Day 2 - update your profile

The first thing to do is to let people know about you and your interests. The more descriptive your bio is the better chances you have to be followed by like-minded people. If you have a blog or website than link to it and let others discover it.

Find your profile by clicking on the person icon at the top right of the screen. Remember to include a photo. Don't remain an 'egg'.

Day 3 - Hash Tags

Hash tags make twitter easier to search, share and chat.

Search the following hash tags

#edchatnz

#edchat

Events:

#ulearn13

#eduIgnite

#isnzlearn

Find a tweet of interest and follow that person. You may want to favourite the tweet.

Day 4 - Find and Follow

Here are some interesting people who you may like to follow:

@Juliet_Revell

@virtuallykaren

@belldogc

@GeoMouldey

@mattynicoll

@MissDtheTeacher

@AKeenReader

@aimiesibson

@SimonAshby2

@JoDudley6

@buckoinchch

@stuarm

See if you can find 10 more educators to follow.

Day 5 - First tweet

Compose a tweet and introduce yourself. Remember to include where (CHCH or NZ is fine) & what you teach. Finish your tweet with #edchatnz. "Hi I am new to twitter. I teach.... ? Looking forward to connecting with other educators"

Day 6 - The basics

Engage in the basics of Twitter, and respond to a tweet from someone you follow.

@ – when placed in front of a Twitter name, it allows the person to see a reply to them under "Replies"

RT: – you use this to re-tweet a tweet that is worthy of sending again to your followers; this is a great way to gain followers

#- Hashtags - to track specific conversations ( Use Twitter Search to see what I mean)

Favourite - Save interesting tweets to a list of your favourites

View the video tutorial below and witness the basics in action

Day 5 of the 14 Day Twitter Challenge for Teachers

Day 7 - Keep going

Follow 3 new people

Favourite an interesting tweet

Retweet something interesting

Day 8 - Share something useful or a challenge

Make one new tweet that could include something great or a struggle from your teaching that day or a question for the day.

Other missions for the day include:

Find 2 tweets of significant value and favourite them.

Retweet something interesting

Day 9 - Digging Deeper

Respond to at least 2 tweets

Retweet at least 2 tweets

Favourite something you could use in class

Day 10 - Upping the ante

Respond to at least 3 tweets

Retweet at least 3 tweets

Day 11 - Twitter Chat

Twitter chats, sometimes known as a Twitter party or a tweet chat, happen when a group of people all tweet about the same topic using a specific tag (#) called a hashtag that allows it to be followed on Twitter. The chats are at a specific time and often repeat weekly or bi-weekly or are only at announced times.

#edchatnz is a great chat to start with. They usually take place on a Thursday but you can read the archive of previous chats by searching for the hashtag on twitter.

Day 12 - Join a Twitter Chat

Dive in, follow the hashtag and make a contribution. All you need to do is write a tweet and include the hashtag somewhere in your tweet. Follow this link to find a list of educational twitter chats and when they are scheduled to take place.

Day 13 - Nearly done

Share your experience. Good, bad or indifferent, give the rest of the staff some feedback on your twitter challenge experience.

Use fosbook to share your thoughts on twitter for all to read.

Day 14

Wahoo! You are now at day 14 of the challenge. This is just the beginning of your learning journey.

The 14 Day Twitter Challenge is designed to get you started and help out with twitter basics. Continue beyond the 14 day stage and gain some of the best PD out there.

You may even want to use twitter with your students. You could set up a class twitter account. #kidsedchatnz takes place on Wednesdays at 2 pm. http://kidsedchatnz.blogspot.co.nz/.